


I'll Cross The Universe For You (Star-Crossed Lovers)

by RateOfTheFrames



Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: Alternate Universe - Magic, Alternate Universe - Space, Fluff and Angst, George Washington is a Dad, M/M, Mutual Pining, Outer Space, Slow Burn, aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa, expect cute jeffmads shit, how to struck every heart string you sad creatures have, mentions of abuse???, now, the major character death tag isn't THAT sad ok i promise-, this is my first fic idk how to write ok-
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-16
Updated: 2020-11-27
Packaged: 2021-03-09 01:01:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 8
Words: 8,478
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27046144
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RateOfTheFrames/pseuds/RateOfTheFrames
Summary: Our universe is a beautiful thing.That is unless you're about to get sucked in to a colorful vortex of a portal leading who knows where.Updates on Fridays B)
Relationships: Thomas Jefferson/James Madison
Comments: 9
Kudos: 19





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> AAAAAAAAAAAAA thanks for stopping by- this is my first fic so don't expect much. I don't know shit about magical space so if you have a PhD in quantum science or astrophysics, you'll hate this. -RotF

Our universe is a _beautiful _thing.__

__Filled with galaxies of _quirky _and _wondrous _communities to a _rainbow _of nebulas and stars. _Wonder _and _mystery _in every corner, and _so many _opportunities to explore._____________ _

That is, unless you're about to be sucked into a colorful vortex of a portal leading to god knows where. 

He'd lost the connection to the nearest space station hours ago, and his ship was being drawn into that stupid vortex thing that will lead to, presumably, certain death. And like, fine. It would’ve been fine! But _of course _he wasn’t paying enough attention to the dashboard, and his ship had accidentally been pulled into The Point of No Return (or basically when gravity was too strong to escape. Like climbing a fence and falling into the neighbor’s yard. Of course, he wouldn’t know anything about that).__

The ship's driver had only seen this kind of danger once. They called it _The Arcane Wormhole _, created by a powerful mage to imitate the natural shortcuts of space. But the mage died from an accident before they could perfect the spell. When they died, they made one last desperate attempt to cast the same spell, powering the last of The Arcane Wormholes, which were still around to this day.__

But that knowledge wasn’t going to help him at all. The driver fiddled with the ship for the umpteenth time. But despite his best efforts, he and his ship were _still _on course to the goddamn magical portal. The driver punched the dashboard in frustration, and winced because _that _sure was stupid. It didn’t help that his ship was an old piece of shit. He scowled as he glanced around the spaceship— _his _spaceship. Oh god, this was it, wasn’t it? He would die here, he’d never get to say goodbye to...actually, who would he even say his last farewell to, if he had the chance? It wasn’t like he had many friends, and his family... _they _made it pretty clear that they never wanted to hear from him again. If this was it, then what the fuck did he spend the last goddamn century doing?________

Well, actually, he knew, but _still _.__

His train of thought was interrupted by a particularly violent jolt. 

As he helplessly attempted to turn the ship around, he wondered what lay on the other side of the wormhole. A planet of savage monsters? Or perhaps a pathway straight into a star? Or maybe even what he was searching for, the reason why he was even in the middle of nowhere with nothing but his fucking worthless hunk of metal for a ship? 

He shook his head involuntarily. Of course not! The possibility of that happening would take a miracle! He was just grasping for one last shred of non-existent hope in this awful situation. 

So close to his doorway of death, he could feel the magic emitting from it. It would’ve been almost spiritual, had he been in _literally any other situation _. He sighed and gave up trying to control the ship. He took out a slip of paper the size of his palm. It was faded and wrinkled after being shoved into countless pockets and bags, but the symbol was still clear. The letter J, enclosed with a diamond shape, hastily drawn on a scrap of notebook paper and yellowed with age.__

He took one last look at the symbol that sent him looking in every hidden passage and every planet of the universe. The ship started shaking violently, and his vision was filled with swirls of color. 

\--- 

The lone Protector of the Planet Wisdom did a double take when he saw an Arcane Portal opening right outside his atmosphere, and a bulky silver ship came flying out of it. 

“What the fuck?”


	2. 100 years ago.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're trying to do a weekly update but RotF couldn't wait at all and shared the first chapter cause they're stupid. -RotF

James fidgeted with his pen, looking out at the garden just outside the library. The dark purple sky had swirls of wispy clouds, and James counted the stars he saw. It was half past noon, and he was supposed to be studying, but what child could concentrate on such a pretty day? He made a face of disdain as he tried to focus on the tiny font. Maybe Washington would let him play outside instead of studying, after all, he himself had said that exercise was important for a growing boy!

Even though he was still young, James was a Protector. And his teacher, George Washington, was also a Protector, a far better one of course. Protectors are guardians of planets that hold concepts, magic or types of powers and elements. They knew everything related to their domain and held access to a library that would be updated constantly about the new discoveries being made about, in James’ case, scientific knowledge. But Protectors wouldn’t be able to guard their library if they were frail! Protectors were born with tremendous power so they could watch over their planet effectively. Well, James _would _. Before all that he would need to practice controlling his powers and learn everything about Planet Wisdom.__

James gazed at the clouds again, noticing one that looked like a test tube…oh, and there another one that kinda looked like a book, and _that _one—__

“Trouble focusing?” James heard a strong voice coming from behind him. James jerked to see his teacher, Professor Washington, standing behind him, eyebrow raised. James prepared for scolding, but he was instead greeted with a warm smile. “How about you go play outside today? You earned it.”

James grinned back at him, and was almost out the door, but he stopped to turn back to Professor Washington. “Thank you,” he said, because every future Protector ought to remember his manners. 

When he stepped outside to the blue grass (Washington always thought it was pink, but James saw it as blue, and they _always _debated about the color of their grass), he picked up his speed slightly. James _really _wanted to go finish exploring the other side of the planet this time, the walk there would only be two hours—maybe three, but he never had enough time to search every corner. Today, though, would be different. He’d find something new today, he knew it.____

\---

Thomas scratched his neck under his stiff collar. He never liked the suits his father made him wear in front of the guests. Why did he have to attend a big fancy dinner anyway? He could just hole up in his room and dream of flying through space with his spaceship called _Monticello _. It wasn't like he was someone _important _in the family, like Jane, his (mean) sister.____

“Stop messing up your suit, Thomas,” his father ordered, as he briskly walked past with a confident girl trailing behind him. Thomas didn’t like it when his father bossed him around, but he would get in _trouble _if he talked back.__

The girl, right on the ordering man’s tail scowled at Thomas, “Listen here, _Thomas _, tonight is the night that I finally get to prove myself, so you best stay in line,” she said, voice low enough to be intimidating, but quiet enough so only he could hear it.__

“No promises,” Thomas muttered under his breath.

Following Jane’s threats was a blur of memories as the Jeffersons rushed into the dining area and took their respective seats around the long table. Soon, the _oh-so important _guests walked in and shook hands with Thomas’ father, with bright, shining, and _extremely fake _smiles plastered onto their faces. Greetings were spoken and then the conversation (that Thomas was not a part of) fell into a rabbit hole of business and their galaxy’s current economy. Jane would speak in perfect moments displaying how _great _she was to the entire room.______

As the dinner went on, Thomas poked around his food, achieving a level of boredom _so high _, he would prefer watching paint dry than stay in that room. So, he did anything a sane person would do, and excused himself to the bathroom (he managed to cut back on the boredom in his voice, after all, he didn't want Jane’s wrath).__

Thomas sighed in relief when he finally escaped that stuffy room filled with meaningless smiles and droning voices. And ran up to his room where he could finally be free of his suit and _expectations _.__

\---

James wandered around, trying to find something new and exciting to admire. The grass brushed against the soles of his shoes as he walked, but then it didn’t. The ground he was stepping on was no longer the soft grass poking out of the damp soil. That was strange, James was _pretty sure _that grass wasn’t supposed to feel smooth and hard. He looked down at the ground, and instead of the usual blue tint, he saw something made out of grey stone. When he crouched down to inspect the surface, he realized it was a small stone trapdoor with a jewel-encrusted handle.__

If James had more self control, he would have ignored his curiosity and moved on. But James did not possess that amount of restraint. So instead, he relented to his questioning mind, and opened the trapdoor. Underneath the small stone gate was a stairway, leading to a faint yellow glow at the bottom. He slowly made his way down the stairs, putting a hand on the wall for balance.

After what felt like ages of descending down to the glowing light (now far brighter than before), his foot finally reached ground that was wider than a couple of inches, and he released a breath that he realized he was holding. Now, free from the fear of plummeting into the abyss that was spiral staircases, he noticed that the light was coming out from a door, slightly ajar.

James should’ve turned back. It was probably late, and Washington would worry. But...his teacher also always told him that Protectors of Planet Wisdom _never _backed away from chances to gain knowledge. So, he straightened his back and puffed out his chest (like Professor Washington did!), and pushed open the door.__


	3. 100 B.P.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> B.P. means Before Prologue.

James walked into a small, mostly barren room. The walls matched the trapdoor that led to the chamber. In the middle was a handheld device that illuminated the circular room with a pale yellow glow from small lights on the side. He carefully crept towards the tablet-like machine, noticing two handles on the side of the thin metal slab. It looked sort of similar to the hand-held gaming console he used to play when he was younger, except this one was bigger and more...important looking. When he picked it up, it seemed to react to his touch, and a holographic screen flickered up in front of him. It had a bunch of words James couldn’t understand, but he caught things like “Planet” and “Hop”. 

Wait, “Planet Hop”? James read the paragraph with those words again.

_To planet hop, please enter the coordinates of the planet you are traveling to. ___

____

____

His heartbeat picked up. He didn’t know what ‘coordinates’ were, but travelling to another planet? James continued reading.

_If you don’t have a set destination in mind, you can browse the list of the most popular vacation planets! ___

____

____

James hesitantly put his finger on the screen, and pressed the button with the word ‘list’ on it (which was glowing brighter than the other buttons on the screen). A planet made out of exclusively sandy beaches? Beaches were nice and all, but they were often hot, and James didn’t like the feeling of sand in his shoes. A planet with snowy mountains? That would be too _cold _, and James knew that a thin sweater and khakis wasn’t exactly made for the cold weather. Ooh, a planet from one of the oldest known civilizations packed to the brim with museums and sightseeing opportunities? Now _that _sounded more like something up his alley. But when James’ fingers hit the option, the warm and welcoming light turned a violent red.____

_____ _

_____ _

The screen flashed big, bold, alarming words screaming: 

_CONNECTION UNSTABLE, REROUTING TO STABLE PLANET ___

____

____

A rush of panic filled James. Anxious thoughts zipped through his head. He really shouldn’t have messed with this machine-

\---

A woman with sephia-skin and golden eyes sat on a much brighter and golden throne. Anyone who _dared _to look at her would have sensed powerful celestial power emitting from the calm woman gazing at billions and _billions _of screens. When the goddess found something interesting enough, she would send a ray of golden power through the display.____

_____ _

_____ _

As her usual routine went on, she found something peculiar; a young, distressed Protector had found a Planet Traveler. Lady Luck (as the mortals called her) did something as rare as a good event in 2020: She smiled. And from her hands, she sent much more fate than usual.

This would be interesting.

\---

Thomas was lounging happily on his bed when he saw a bright flash of golden light coming from a corner of the room. After blinking a few times, he got his vision back, and saw a boy a little younger than him standing where the light had been.

He looked fairly normal, he had short, black hair, and his navy sweater looked nice with his dark complexion. He was holding a strange mechanism, and had a panicked look on his face. 

The two boys remained silent in shock. A million questions rushed to Thomas’ head. How did he get here? Who was he? Should he call the guards? He managed to ask the most important question (in his opinion): 

“Who are you?”

The boy’s panicked state was not getting better, but he still let out a squeak resembling words, “James.”

“Hi James, I’m Thomas.” Thomas said, unsure of what to do. Gosh, what could someone do when a random kid appeared in one’s room. Did people like that deserve to be treated with good grace? Technically it was breaking and entering...but the boy looked just as confused as he felt, so... 

“I shouldn’t be here.” James mumbled, just loud enough that Thomas could barely catch it. 

“Why are you in my house?” (father would crucify him if he heard Thomas refer to the estate as _his _, but father would never know. And, well, it still was breaking and entering. There were always exceptions to rules). “Did you need something from my parents? Because this is the wrong room. Also, what’s that thing you’re holding?” Actually, the slab of machinery tickled something in his head a little, but he couldn’t recall where it was from.__

____

____

James squirmed and started inching into a corner. He slowly nodded his head, “I have to get back…”

“Back where?” Thomas asked, curious. It didn’t seem as though James could hurt him (he was so _tiny _; Thomas could totally take him in a fight).__

____

____

“To my home! I came here on accident, and I don’t even know who your parents _are _.”__

____

____

“Where’s your home? I think I’ve seen the thingie you’ve got there, my father has one!” Thomas remembered. This situation was quite strange for him. Probably because he had never met anyone who didn't know his parents, and that said person materialized in his room minutes ago. 

James hesitantly handed Thomas the tablet, “I don’t know where my home is, but can you help me go back then?” Thomas took the Planet Traveler (Thomas remembered his father called it that) and nodded. He noticed that it wasn’t as up to date as the ones his father used. It took some scrolling and clicking around the screen but he finally found a button that would help.

James squeezed his way next to him and read what it said: “Travel to the last location… Oh! I can go back now! Thanks for helping!” 

Thomas started to wonder why this stranger would want to return to wherever he was from? If Thomas was in his shoes, he would leave and never look back. Maybe he was scared of being caught escaping and getting in _trouble _. “Why did you come here anyways?”__

____

____

“It was an accident, I found this thing in a secret room or something and I wanted to try it out,” James replied, meekly. “But it said that the connection wasn’t stable, so I got sent here.”

“A secret room? That’s so cool! I wish I could find secret rooms here. I could hide in them until things aren’t boring anymore. And why was the connection unstable? When my father uses it, the connection never breaks out or anything,” Thomas said, talking a mile a minute. 

“Maybe because my home is really really far from everything?” James was getting a bit restless now. “I should go back, my professor would be worried.” He turned around, like searching for his home. When he turned around Thomas saw something on the back of his neck but dismissed it. It was probably nothing.

“Professor?”

“Yeah... You know, the people who teach you how to control your magic and stuff like that.”

Thomas did not know about the people James was talking about. “My father says magic’s dumb. But I think it’s cool! Can you show me?” 

“I’m not good at it yet. I’m still learning the basics.” James glanced at the button that would take him home with a click of his finger. Thomas noticed that small action and tried his absolute best to keep his disappointment out of his face. Even though James was technically trespassing, he was nice to talk to. And Thomas barely got the chance to see magic in person, he’d have liked for James to show him a bit of his magic, even though it was only the basics. Well, back to boredom, he supposed. “I guess you have to go then.” His tone was as nonchalant as he could muster.

“Maybe- maybe I can come back?” James suggested. Thomas guessed that James noticed his disappointment through his facade and tried to cheer him up. The attempt was not in vain, since the disappointment wiped off his face immediately. 

“Really?” Thomas held out his pinky finger. “Do you promise?” 

James also dubiously repeated the motion. “P- Promise.” Then the two boys initiated the sacred ritual of Pinky Promises. Their hands parted, and with a press of a button and a flash of yellow light, James disappeared.

\---

The last thing James remembered was Thomas (his new friend?) grinning, and his puffy afro framing the sides of his face. He was back in the small stone chamber. He held onto the device that let him travel to new worlds and climbed the stairs silently. He had to keep the little machine, after all he made a promise.

The spiral staircase didn’t seem as frightening anymore. Perhaps because he wasn’t falling face first into the unknown, or maybe because he could see where he was stepping due to the glare of the little lights on the sides of the tablet. 

James pushed open the trapdoor to see that the sky was closer to inky black than dark purple. A sense of dread ran down his spine. Professor Washington must be worried sick! He started running back to the other side of his planet as fast as his little legs could carry him, gripping the machine, still radiating light, tightly.

He was around half-way there, and very out of breath, when he heard his teacher’s voice calling him. James quickly shoved the mechanism up the back of his sweater. Hopefully, being underneath fabric would hide its light.

As soon as his teacher spotted him, Washington’s expression changed from worried to relieved, “What happened? Are you hurt? You’re going to be in a lot of trouble-”

James knew it was rude to interrupt, but he had to answer those first two questions before even more piled up, “I just got a little lost and I’m fine, Professor.” Thankfully, his teacher hadn’t noticed a certain slab of metal that was pushed up James’ back. He contemplated telling Washington about the planet hopping device but decided not to, yet… 

After being assured that James was fine, the two Protectors, current and future, walked back to the library.

\---

Thomas looked at the clock. The floating circle by his painfully boring wooden door showed that it was eight p.m.. Good. The dinner must have ended. But Thomas bet that the guests haven’t left yet. So he lounged around in his room, toying with a cradle that an old terran scientist named Newton had made. He had rescued it from Jane’s waste bin, mostly intact, had lost a marble during the process. He followed the marbles with his eyes as the little metal spheres swung and made quiet clicking noises.

He sat there, lost in his thoughts as his vision glazed over while he was staring at the spheres moving back and forth… and back and forth and back and—

His ( _painfully boring _) door slammed open to reveal his father, face calm and serene like the night sky, but eyes burning with anger.__

____

____

Uh oh.


	4. 100 B.P.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HAPPY HALLOWEEN YALL -RotF
> 
> Happy Halloween! I hope that if you're reading this, you have an amazing day. Remember that you're an absolutely wonderful person, and I know you're gonna succeed. I promise that this too shall pass. We're gonna be alright; life is a long and beautiful journey. I mean, sure, it has its ups and downs, but it's still beautiful, and so are you. I love you <3 - Haven
> 
> RotF: *weirdo western cowboy*  
> Haven: *tea mom*  
> -RotF

James poked his head out the door. There was only one gap in his schedule for meeting Thomas, so he had to do this efficiently. He’d poked around with the machine beforehand and he found a list of the planets the machine went to. There was, of course, his planet, and what seemed to be Thomas’ planet, since it was on the top of the list. Thomas’ planet was marked “moderate” and had an artificial hoop around it. The screen was too small for James to investigate further, but he liked it far better than _his _globe of mystical purple.__

____

____

When James saw that the long hallways stretching for miles were clear, he took out the Planet Traveler and scrolled to find Thomas’ planet. What if the machine went haywire and he got sent to a dangerous planet? What if he got sent to a different room or building? What if-

_Click _.__

____

____

James opened his eyes to see the last bit of the light fading away. He was in the same exact corner he was in the last time he’d materialized in the room. The same exact boy with the same hair and the same surprised expression stared at him. Oh, thank the cosmic universe.

“Oh,” Thomas quickly tugged on his (a shade of muted purple? Pink? James couldn’t tell. Maybe a mix of both) sleeves, “You came back.”

James noticed the motion but thought nothing of it, “I mean, of course I did. We made a pinky promise.” 

“I just thought…” Thomas trailed off, “Nevermind.”

The two boys stood there each other in silence, just like they did a day prior. Except this time, the quiet was filled with awkwardness instead of surprise. James was never the best at talking (he only had his professor and various people from biographies to compare to, but still). As James searched the room for things to talk about, he spotted his savior hanging above his bed, a poster explaining something about space travel.

“Do you like space?”

As soon as those words came out of his mouth, Thomas’ eyes lit up like a star (pun absolutely intended). “Like? I _love _space! I’m going to be out there exploring and discovering new planets and galaxies! And when I’m old enough to get a ship, I’m going to name it _Monticello _and fly through the universe!”____

_____ _

_____ _

James watched as Thomas jumped around making wild motions with his hand and finally landed in his bed as he finished his speech. If adults were in proximity, they would’ve shook their heads and called it a fever dream. But James was not an adult, nor were there any in proximity, so instead his eyes sparkled with interest and said, “That’s cool, I wish I’d be able to do things like that when I grow up.” 

His excitement deflated quickly when he realized he would be stuck in his planet for the rest of his life. James didn’t hate being a Protector. It came with nice perks and he did like feeling important (what kid didn't?). He just wished that he could do other things like go around and see places-

James suddenly became all too aware of the glowing device in his hand. Maybe he could use it to go look at other planets and the wonders it could offer. Maybe he could go follow Thomas in his adventures… Speaking of, James realized Thomas was trying to talk to him.

“-ean you _wish _?” Thomas waved his hands in front of James, “Hello? Intergalactic Space Station to James!”__

____

____

“Huh?”

“I said,” Thomas ceased his vigorous waving, “What do you mean you _wish _? Does your planet not allow spaceships or something?”__

____

____

“I couldn’t travel to any planet at all.”

“Couldn’t?”

James held up the Planet Traveler and formed a grin that only the truly innocent and the young could conjure (James was both).

\---

Thomas was struck with a brilliant idea.

“We should _totally _use it and go somewhere cool!” Thomas exclaimed, “My planet has better connection, so there should be no mess-ups whatsoever!”__

____

____

Thomas made his way over so he could see the screen better. And he held the other handle that wasn’t gripped by James. They quickly found their way to the list of popular options. James scrolled through the first three, to Thomas’ confusion. He didn’t mind though, since the next option dwarfed it all.

“Water Post! All my classmates have been there, they all said that it’s the coolest place to go in the whole universe!” Thomas ached to go to that dome of splashing and _fun _that his family would never tolerate.__

____

____

“It’s not the best place for sweaters, right?” James asked. Thomas just noticed that his trespasser (maybe, not anymore? Since he let him ‘in’) was donning the exact same outfit as yesterday. Same navy sweater, same dorky khakis, and the same gray sneakers. “And I read in one of my books that you need tickets or something for these things.”

“Aww, you’re right. When I can go there on my own, I’m going to spend a whole _year _there!” It was unfortunate that he couldn’t visit the watery fun-land, but he would definitely get in _trouble _when he returned. And he didn’t want to get in _trouble _, he did yesterday, and he didn’t want to repeat that so soon.______

_____ _

_____ _

_“You made us look very bad, Thomas.” His father had said, “You made us look like we couldn’t teach a kid to respect us.” ___

____

____

“Wh- What other options are there?” Thomas quickly scrolled down. 

“There’s the carnival planet…” James seemed like he didn’t notice. Good. “But I’m pretty sure you’d need tickets for it too.”

“When are we gonna find somewhere fun?” Thomas groaned.

James tried to scroll down once more, but the list didn’t budge. Thomas sighed at that, “That means we’re going to have to hang out in my _boring _room…”__

____

____

“Your room isn’t boring.” James stated.

“Um, yes it is.” Thomas gestured to his extremely drab room. The walls were a shade of gray that his mother insisted was “sophisticated”. And his bed was smaller than the ones in guest rooms, with artificially white covers. His microscopic desk and chair were made with a _painfully boring _dark wooden material, just like his door. The poster and his Newton’s Cradle (hiding under his bed) tried their best to liven it up, but alas, failed miserably.__

____

____

James spun around to take in Thomas’ (stupidly _boring _) room. He turned back to the other occupant of the room and shrugged, “I don’t think it’s boring.”__

____

____

“You must have _really _low standards.” Thomas flopped down onto his bed, making his frizzy curls fly about.__

____

____

His guest (?) stood awkwardly and pointed to the clock. “Is that universal time?”

“Yeah, everyone uses universal time.” Thomas sat up in his bed, “Why, do you have to go?”

“No- not yet.” James awkwardly made his way into Thomas’ chair. The chair’s usual inhabitant didn’t say anything, so James settled into the hard wooden seat and placed the little machine on the table with a ‘clack’.

The room fell into silence, once again. But it was a pleasant silence, like the kind you would enjoy with a friend. And James… James was a friend, right? Thomas looked over at his… friend, who trespassed into his father’s estate the first time they met. He had his legs dangling off the chair, poking the holographic screen.

Thomas broke the silence (like his father’s expectations), “What do _you _like to do? You know I like space stuff.”__

____

____

“Read.”

“No wonder why you think my room isn’t boring. I hate reading.” 

“It’s fun for me. And I get to learn about lots of stuff when I read!” James objected.

“Yeah, right,” Thomas snorted. 

James crossed his arms, “It’s fun!”

“Okay _f-i-i-i-ne _, it’s fun.”__

____

____

\---

How could anyone not like reading? To be fair, Thomas had never seen the grand library filled to the brim with knowledge. Speaking of the library… James checked the time. It was time for him to return to his home. He didn’t want Washington worried over him again.

“...I hafta go now.”

“Already?” Thomas groaned, “But you’ll be coming back though, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Good.”

_Click ___


	5. 98 B.P.

Thomas burst through the front door of his father’s mansion and whizzed past the familiar hallways and doors. He bumped into his father’s personal assistant, a janitor and one of the men that worked for his father. He shouted half of an apology at them and continued his mad dash to his destination, leaving them confused and slightly annoyed.

He was going to be late! He got distracted when school ended and didn’t keep track of time! Stupid! Thomas continued racing through the repetitive halls of the Jefferson Residence until he skidded to a halt in front of those familiar wooden doors. He entered the room, closed the door with a loud slam, and threw his backpack on the ground.

Thomas scanned the room. He found it empty and fixed his stare to an _extremely special corner _, letting out a sigh of relief. Soon, the corner lit up in bright light, and quickly faded to reveal a boy that Thomas knew to heart.__

____

____

“Hi, James.” Thomas grinned.

“Hi, Thomas.” James mirrored.

\---

James clicked the button that was part of a routine he’d memorized over the last two years. He and Thomas hadn’t changed much physically, since both of their races aged slower than a human (which was quite common, actually). But their friendship had strengthened over the years they spent together. 

James would planet hop to Thomas and they would hang out, and be friends. Thomas would tell James the kind of things that he couldn’t learn from books, like what it was like to go to a normal school, or how _amazing _this food called ‘Mac and Cheese’ was (James tried it once, and only once).__

____

____

If Thomas wasn’t gushing about his favorite food, James was describing what it was like to be a Protector. How it was to train over magic —

_“Please, Jemmy? You told me you would be showing me some magic!”_

____

____

_“I can’t do it well yet . . .” ___

____

____

_“Ple-e-ease?” ___

____

____

_“Okay, fine.” ___

____

____

_“That was so cool! Do it again” ___

____

____

_“Thomas . . .” ___

____

____

__

__

Or what kind of things they did at his home —

_“We have a garden that —” ___

____

____

_“Is there a macaroni tree?” ___

____

____

_“That — We don’t have a macaroni tr —” ___

____

____

_“Is there a cheese tree?” ___

____

____

_“Thomas, we don’t have a cheese tree.” ___

____

____

_“Aw, dang it.” ___

____

____

Or just about anything that popped into mind.

_“Hey, I always wondered . . .” ___

____

____

_“About what?” ___

____

____

_“I’m getting to it Jem. I always wondered . . . what’s that thing on the back of your neck?” ___

____

____

_“That’s my symbol.” ___

____

____

_“What’s a symbol?” ___

____

____

_“It’s a thing that all of the Protectors have.” ___

____

____

_“What does it mean?” ___

____

____

_“It doesn’t mean anything. It’s like . . . a fingerprint, in a way.” ___

____

____

_“Except it’s cooler! And not on your fingers!” ___

____

____

_“I guess.” ___

____

____

James was disappointed that he couldn’t see Thomas for longer periods of time. But it was a price to pay if he didn’t want to get —

“So, would you care to explain where you were for the past hour?”

— caught.

\---

George Washington was not a naive person. Years ( _centuries _) of experience would do that to someone. So when his student kept sneaking off to who knows where, every day, at the same exact time, he had to investigate.__

____

____

It was quite easy, considering his disappearing act was _very _predictable. And so, George Washington found himself towering over his pupil as said student stood frozen, holding something behind his back.__

____

____

“And the day before, and the day before _that _?” Washington asked with his ‘serious face’.__

____

____

“Um . . .”

Washington changed his position to a little less threatening stance and held out his hand. Gesturing to turn over the mysterious object still behind his back.

Worry, fear, and panic flashed across his student’s face as he shook his head and refused to hand over whatever it was still hidden behind his back.

A stern look.

A pause.

A glow of yellow light.

What James had stashed behind him was the last thing Washington would have imagined.

“Where did you get that Planet Hopper?”

\---

“Er . . .” Oh no, oh no, oh no, oh no, oh no — It was no time to panic, James. If he remained calm and told Professor Washington that he had a best friend on another planet and he _had _to see him tomorrow, maybe he’ll let him keep it . . . Who was he kidding, Washington would take away the Planet Traveler and James could never see Thomas again —__

____

____

“When I . . . went to the other side of the planet . . . I found a trapdoor?”

No turning back now. James had done it. He didn’t even get to say goodbye to Thomas.

“I knew I should have hidden it better! That thing you’re holding there is the emergency plan for when _bad things _happen, son.” Professor Washington’s tone was dire and serious. “Where do you even go?”__

____

____

“To my friend.” This was it. Professor Washington was going to confiscate the Planet Traveler and his only friend. It was fine (it was not fine), James knew that nothing lasts forever (he wished it lasted forever). He was just sad ( _heartbroken _) that it didn’t last a little longer.__

____

____

Washington stared at James, face impassive. James could feel his cheeks getting wet with streaks with tears. “To your friend.” His teacher repeated.

James nodded and tried to wipe away the tears.

Then, Washington did the last thing James expected.

“Alright.” Washington handed back the Planet Traveler. “But you have to be focused on your study time.”

James hesitantly took back the machine, waiting to see if it was all a joke. But the Planet Traveler stayed in his grasp.

“Now we are going to have to find a better compromise with your schedule —” 

James hugged his teacher, throwing himself headfirst into his professor’s chest.

“Thank you,” James said after he pulled away. “Also . . . may I go quickly visit my friend? Just for a little bit.”

“Only for a little bit, we have chores to get t —”

\---

Thomas was working on his homework (begrudgingly) when his room flashed yellow for the second time that day. Huh, that was weird, James never visited him twice in a day. Not that Thomas was complaining.

“Hey, James, did you forget something?” Thomas had barely gotten those words out when James rushed over to hug him.

_Wow. ___

____

____

Okay.

Thomas couldn’t remember the last time he had been hugged but it sure felt amazing. It was like a summer’s day that you would spend with the things you liked to do, and sitting in front of a fireplace wrapped in a cozy blanket, tucked away from the cold outside. He was lost in the blissful feeling when he realized that he should be hugging back and awkwardly wrapped his arms around James.

“So,” said Thomas as the embrace ended, “What made you want to squeeze out my lungs?”

James laughed, the kind that was quiet and reserved, “Nothing _too _important.”__

____

____

“Sure, you probably didn’t get caught by your Professor or something _that _crazy.” Thomas knew about the circumstances James was under and was sure that his guess was wrong, but one look at his best friend’s face said differently. “ _Oh _.”____

_____ _

_____ _

“Don’t worry, it went well.” Oh, thank the stars. “But I do have to go.”

“Same time tomorrow, right?” Thomas sincerely prayed that James was not lying and he _was _coming back the next day.__

__

__

__

__

“Yep.”


	6. 95 B.P.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oooooo spooky friday of 13th! -RofT

“Thomas?”

The room was unoccupied, other than James. That was expected. Thomas was probably just making his way home from school right now. It was nothing bad, James reassured himself. 

After waiting for several minutes and trying to convince himself that it was nothing, James walked towards the door that Thomas always declared ‘boring’. James was about to edge open the door and take a risky peep when he was interrupted by a skidding of sneakers and a small (recognizable) yelp.

It was nothing bad. James sighed in relief just as Thomas walked into the room and closed the door quickly. He had something behind his back though. That wasn’t normal. . .

Just before James could question it, Thomas took the object out to James’ view. It was a simple looking cake. James recognized it from a book about baking. Fun fact: baking is actually just a bunch of chemical reactions. It’s quite fascinating to study the science of baking. Cake was the result of years of scientific discovery . . . speaking of which, why did Thomas have cake? _How _did Thomas get cake?__

__“What’s with the cake?” James asked._ _

__“Oh, nothing special.” Thomas dramatically handed James the plate along with the fork, making him anxious that Thomas might drop it and make a big mess on the floor._ _

__James took the plate and stared at Thomas._ _

__Thomas motioned to his best friend to take a bite of that cake._ _

__James took a bite of the cake._ _

__It was good and sweet. James never tasted cake (except for that really gross vegetable cake Washington had made him once) but he knew it was a nice cake._ _

__“How is it?” Thomas asked._ _

__“Delectable.” That was a word James learned in the same book that taught him about cakes. It sounded cool, and it seemed like the right moment for it._ _

__James thought Thomas would be pretty impressed about him knowing such big words but instead, his best friend laughed. “You sound like a grown-up.”_ _

__“I don’t sound like a grown-up!” James protested._ _

__“Yes, you do! Especially when you use big words like ‘de-lect-tibble’.” Thomas continued laughing._ _

__“Delectable.” James corrected. “What was the cake for anyway?”_ _

__Thomas looked disappointed and triumphant at the same time. “You don’t know?”_ _

__James shook his head and continued eating the cake._ _

__“We’ve been friends for five years! It’s like . . . what’s it called? An every-versary?”_ _

__“Anniversary.” James corrected._ _

__Wait a second._ _

__Oh._ _

First of all, how did Thomas know that it’s been five years, did he keep a secret calendar or something? Second of all, how did James _not _know that? He knew that anniversaries were special, but he didn’t even bother to figure out what the anniversary of him and his best friend’s!__

“Hey.” Thomas yanked James out of his head. “It’s fine if you forgot. Actually, it’s great that you forgot! So our plans won’t overlap!”

“Plans?”

“Yep! I have fitted _everything _fun I could think of for our _Jem _-packed schedule!” Thomas handed James a list of activities for the next hour (after negotiating with his Professor, James had extended the visit by thirty minutes).____

James snickered at the pun and read the list. The list really _was _packed with activities that the two boys enjoyed, but the last bullet-point in the list was a little weird. “You know we won’t be able to do the last one in your room.”__

“Who said we were doing that in my room?”

\---

Dangling from a _million _feet above the ground (okay, it was barely twenty), supported by a _mere rope _(more like clothes tied together), the two _daring _adventurers (maybe one daring adventurer, and one nervous adventurer) descended to their freedom, away from the _gigantic space monster _in the process of destroying everything on sight (the monster was just Thomas’ room).________

The whole operation relied on stealth because Thomas was starting to learn how to not get in _trouble _. And stealth was a very important factor in achieving that goal. It was a good thing that everyone left him alone in his room. He could do anything if he stayed quiet enough. Though it was difficult to be stealthy when climbing out of the window when working with a little boy scared of heights.__

“Don’t worry, Jemmy, we’re almost there.” Thomas whispered up to James. Both boys had been very thankful that Thomas went first (‘I’m taller, so I can catch you if you fall!’), albeit for entirely different reasons. 

“Okay,” James mumbled. He was making progress ( _slow _progress), downward to the soft grass ( _expensive, perfect _grass). Shaking hands and legs inched towards the ground.____

Thomas should have made all the activities be inside his room. They cleared four out of five activities, which was cake eating, space uno (Thomas won), Simon says (James won) and staring at Thomas’ Newton’s cradle, which was more entertaining than expected, but the last thing on the list required being outside, underneath the sparkling stars.

Talking to James seemed as though it helped him relax, so Thomas started explaining why he chose stargazing as the last activity. 

“You never saw the stars from my planet, and it’s really pretty. You’ll like them. I can’t wait until I get _Monticello _and I go flying through them!”__

“I bet it is. You can see stars for the _whole _day from my home, and that gets _really _boring. And they’re all so small and dim because my home’s so far from everything.” James’ hands stopped trembling. And he was starting to make faster progress. The two boys continued to whisper about their view to the stars until Thomas’ feet found stable ground, and in tandem, James’ feet did too.____

“Come on, James, it’s not far from here!” Thomas motioned to James and started running. He faintly heard James sigh and follow Thomas tiredly.

The ‘it’ Thomas was referring to was the _best spot _for stargazing. It was a little hill a minute jog from his father’s estate. The stars would twinkle so wonderfully that Thomas could stare at the night sky for hours.__

Sadly, the duo did not have hours, but only a few minutes. Wasting no time, James and Thomas arrived there. Thomas flopped down onto the grass in a sitting position, his friend following suit.

“Today was fun, right?” Thomas asked as he looked up at the stars. It was prettier than he remembered. That was good, he wanted James to be mesmerized by the stars.

“Yeah,” James replied. He was staring up at the stars like it was the most amazing thing in the world. Mission accomplished! “I wonder if I can see my home from here.”

“Probably not —” Thomas was suddenly interrupted by a streak of light dashing through the skies. A shooting star! Wasting no time, Thomas made a wish.

_I wish that James and I will be best friends forever. ___

\---

“Today was fun, right?” Thomas asked. That was probably the easiest question that James had ever heard, but the stars, being so shiny and all, delayed his answer slightly. The stars really _were _pretty, just as Thomas had said.__ <

“Yeah,” James replied. He kept his gaze on the stars though. He looked thoroughly at each one twinkling in the night sky. Maybe he could. . . “I wonder if I can see my home from here.”

“Probably not —” Thomas started. Yeah, that was about what James expected. His train of thought was stopped abruptly as his eyes caught sight of a shooting star, racing in the skies. He had to make a wish before it disappeared! Closing his eyes, James made a wish.

_I wish that Thomas and I will be best friends forever. ___

“Did you make a wish?” Thomas turned to him.

“Yeah, did you?”

“Uh-huh!” Thomas nodded. “Now we have to keep it a secret because then it won’t come true.”

“Okay.” James hoped that Thomas also wished to be best friends forever. He went back to looking at the stars. Each of them were a little brighter than he remembered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> comment makes me know that you actually are reading this and not just skimming through thr first sentence, scrolling down and clicking kudos and leaving. -RotF


	7. 90 B.P.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come on, readers. Look at this masterpiece of a filler chapter developing friendship and baiting you for... something bad... wAIT WAIT WAIT NO DON'T READ THE TAGS- IGNORE THAT- IGNORE THE ANGST TAG WAIT AGH-
> 
> AND SORRY IT'S A LITTLE LATE I PROCRASTINATED A N D GOT WRITER'S BLOCK
> 
> -RotF

Thomas left the school he went to for _all _of his childhood (he was still a kid, but you know what he meant) for the last time. People told him that the end of elementary school was like a beginning of a new era, a moment that would stick with him _forever _, but he personally disagreed. It was just a normal, average day.____

_____ _

_____ _

He waved to his school friend, Aaron, who nodded at him, like always. See? Normal day. Thomas made his way back home, just like he did each day before (except for weekends, duh). He easily slipped past everyone, since almost no one in his father’s mansion cared if he graduated primary school or not.

Quickly and quietly, he entered his room. After shutting the door and setting his bag down, he turned around to see that his best friend hadn't arrived yet. Suddenly being struck by a _brilliant _idea, Thomas quickly scrambled under his table to scare James when he arrived at his room (again, Thomas could not believe how well this trick worked on James).__

____

____

“Tho- ACK!” Thomas successfully frightened James just as the light was fading. The _look on his face _was a moment that would be stuck with you forever.__

____

____

“You scared me.” James stated.

“Amazingly, too. I wonder how many times you’ll fall for that, Jemmy.” Thomas smirked unapologetically. 

James frowned and went over to sit on Thomas’ bed. “So did anything interesting happen today?”

“I’m going to ignore the fact that you changed the topic.” Thomas followed his best friend and proceeded to sit on the bed. “But yes, something ‘interesting’ _did _happen today!”__

____

____

“And what was that?”

“Oh, just graduating elementary school.”

James rested his face on his hands. A motion Thomas learned indicated thinking. “Isn’t that an important accomplishment?

“. . . How many letters was that?”

“Fourteen.”

“Woah.”

“Anyways, isn’t graduating from school a big accomplishment?”

“Sure doesn’t feel like it. Also you sound like a grown-up again.”

“No I don’t!”

“Yes, you do.”

James sighed (like a disappointed _adult _), and started swinging his feet (this is why he only _sounds _like an adult). “Do you have anything fun to do today, Thomas?”____

_____ _

_____ _

Thomas did not have anything fun planned today, so he started to rack his brain for ideas. But he knew that James wouldn’t care if they didn’t and would just watch the Newton's Cradle while talking about random things, so he didn’t put too much work into it. 

After trying to come up with entertaining things to do, Thomas gave up and turned to a random topic. “Why can’t I visit your planet?”

James sighed ( _again _) and looked up at Thomas. “How many times do I tell you? My professor won’t allow it.”__

____

____

“Who cares about what your professor says?”

James looked like Thomas had just insulted his hair.

“Okay, _you _do.”__

____

____

“It isn’t about disobeying my teacher, we just don’t know what would happen with a passive visitor on the planet.”

“Oh.”

“Trust me, Thomas. I’ve done a lot of research about that topic and I-”

Thomas coughed out a phrase.

“I do _not _!”__

____

____

\---

James does _not _sound like an adult.__

____

____

\---

Reginald was just a janitor. Well, a janitor working for the Jeffersons, but he was still just a janitor. He could clean on his afternoon shifts and go spend time with his family when he finished. 

To Mr. Jefferson, he was just a janitor. To his husband, he was Reggie. To the oldest son of Mr. Jefferson, he was, well, he was still a janitor, but he was a 'cool' janitor. Who turned a blind eye to him causing trouble (he hoped that Thomas was still taking good care of the Newton’s Cradle, it was fine the last time Reginald saw it) or snuck him candy (only once in a while, he didn’t want one of the Jeffersons getting cavities). 

So when he heard the boy’s room filled with chatter, his day got a little better. 

Good. Reginald smiled. It was nice that Thomas had a friend over; he seemed lonely.

He passed the room’s door (he remembered Thomas thinking it was boring) and went on to clean the other rooms. He was not going to be rude and disturb the boy from spending time with his friend, after all.

\---

“I do not.”

“Yes, you do!”

“I do _not _!”__

____

____

“ _Yes _, you do!”__

____

____

“I do —” James sighed. They have been saying the same two sentences for the past . . . 10 minutes or so. “If I sound like an adult, you sound like a — um — tree!”

“Nice one, Jemmy.” Thomas said sarcastically. “Since now we’re both done, let’s go back to the main point.”

Thomas’ eyebrows went rigid, and he placed his hands on his hips. He bent down to look at James in the eye and opened his mouth elegantly, like he was about to have a very serious conversation.

“Please, please, please, ple-e-e-ase? I’m ready to take a risk and visit your planet!” Of course, why would James suspect Thomas was going to talk about anything serious. 

“You could get really hurt if it goes wrong though.”

Thomas paused. Good, maybe that would stop his whining.

Unfortunately for James, it did not stop his whining, it just forced Thomas to whine about a different topic.

“Okay fine, then describe it!”

James held up his finger to speak.

“Please, please please, plea-”

“I was just about to describe it, Thomas!”

His friend scrambled and took a seat as if James was about to perform a musical destined to go down in history.

“So there’s blue grass with a dark purple sky…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i am a rat (in a trenchcoat) begging for comments -RotF
> 
> Haven here, please only leave comments if you feel like it!! Thank you very much for your kudos, they mean a lot to the author :)) -H_H


	8. Thanksgiving is shit

Hi its me, your boy, RateOfTheFrames. I currently have 3 projects to work on AND a life(ikr so surprising) so I’m gonna drop one of them this week(this one) and lower the weight on the other one so I can work on the most important one (an animation contest entry).

So yes that’s me telling y’all that there will be no chapter today. Yes sorry about that. I know you guys can’t live without fanfics. But I am so burnt out that I am nothing but ashes, so im gonna _TAKE A BREAK _because my editor/therapist friend says mental health is more important than this.__

__Yes that is a message to all of you who are reading this at 1:26 am. Go to sleep you gremlin._ _

__You’re welcome for writing a quick i-cant-post-a-chapter-this-week note that is more entertaining than others._ _

__Turn off your device and sleep yall crazy._ _

**Author's Note:**

> THANKS SO MUCH FOR READING ALL THE WAY THROUGH (we'll have longer chapters soon ok ;-;)
> 
> hi-it's me, hidden_haven, and please know that despite me being listed as the co-creator, I mainly edit and correct wonky wording (and probably science stuff). Most of this is the other creator sooo yeah!! Hope you enjoy and please do not associate this work with me, I didn't write it ❤️❤️


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